The San Saba news. [volume] (San Saba, Tex.) 1873-1966, 1887-06-24
POPULAR SCIENCE.

Careful observations by Schroeder, in
Germany. show that one part of sri.
( phuric acid in 81. 600 parts of air will
cause a serious damage to pants in a
very short time. Coniferous trees are
more sensitive than deeiduous. Fruit
trees are very sensitive.
In British Association paper. Mr.. W.
Il. Preece has recorded an experiment by
which he localized fragment of needle
in his daughters hand. \ fine mague
tized needle was Suspended by delicate
fiber over the hand, aud on cutting at the
point indicated by this needle the
troublesome bit Of steel was found and
extracted.
II Is very unsafe to paper a room, As Is
too often done, over another paper.
Sometimes several layers are placed on
the walls. These layers, together with
the paste, become breeders Of disease.
The only proper way, when the paper
needs renewing, is 10 remove the old
paper entirely and clean the wall. For
sleeping rooms it is better TO have no
paper at all.
\ new use for the tobacco plant has
been discovered. Its stems aud waste,
it is claimed, are equal to linen rags in
the manufacture Of paper. Tobacco
waste costs less than $40 ton. linen
rags $40 to $50. There is no expense in
asserting the former and very little shrink
age, as against loss of one-third of
rags. The yearly tobacco waste is es-
timated by the census reports at from
2 OUU OnO ~ { UuN nan v,,,,,Ir
While the sub ect of earthquakes is
under discussion it might not be inap-
propriate TO mention that one notable
feature in connection with the New
Madrid earth iuake was its elects on
forest trees Gigantic oaks that, from
their exterior, appeared 10 be solid, were
discovered, upon being cut for sawmill
purposed, to be much impaired and in
Jured internally, and as a rule presented
rotten hearts of splintered bodies. This
fact was noted and has been commented
upon.
The worlds blind are computed to
number about |, 90, 900, about one sight
less person TO every 1, 100 inhabitants.
In Austria, one person in every !, 7S5 is
blind; in Sweden, one in every AS; in
France, one in every ,l9l. in Prussia.
one in every III; IN England, one in
every l,037. The proportion is greatest
in Egypt where, in Cairo, there is one
blind person To every twenty inhabi-
tauts; y lille in New zealand it falls TO
one in every g, $50 inhabitants. Germany
has the greatest number of institutes for
the blind, thirty five; England has six
teen; France. thirteen; Austria. Hun
gary, ten; Italy, nine, Belgium, six;
Australia two; while America Asia and
Africa together are said to possess only
six.
1t is well understood that Great Brit
ain and other parts of Northern Europe
owe much to the warming influence Of
the gulf stream. The extent of the eff
feet has been given in the calculations Of
DR.. James Croll, who has found that the
amount of heat conveyed northward in
the Atlantic by this stream is equival mt
to 7',479, 800, Geo, 600, OO0. 600 foot
pounds OF energy day, which is equal
to all the heat received by 1850, 80
square miles at the equator, and more
heat than Is conveyed by all the air cur
rents. The heat of the Arctic seas and
north Atlantic would be diminished that
much by the stoppage or division of the
great ocean river